Side-bar vehicle



(No Model.)

J. STUART.

SIDE BAR VEHIGLE. I No. 392,572. Patented Nov. 6, 1888.

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JAMES STUART, OF LAKEVILLE, CONNECTICUT.

SIDE BAR VEHICLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 392,572, dated November 6, 1888! Application filedlllay 31, 1888. Serial No. 275,578. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES STUART, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Lakevllle, 1n the county of Litchfield and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Vehicles; and I hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to that class of vehicles in which springs are interposed lengthw1se between the body and the other parts of the vehicle; and its objects are, first, to make a carriage that will ride easily and steadily, and that will at the same time be strong and durable, and, secondly,while securing strength and flexibility, to make the body of the carriage light in weight, and therefore more convenient for use, and neater in appearance and less expensive.

My invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure l is a top or plan view with half of the seat removed, and Fig. 2 is a side elevation with certain parts removed. Figs. 3 and 4. show a modified attachment of the side spring to the head-block.

My invention has special reference to the class of side-bar side-spring wagons, though certain parts of it mightloe employedin wagons where the head-block and the rear axle are connected and firmly held together by other means.

a is the body of the vehicle, which is made in the usual form and manner, except that it may be made lighter in my improved carriage in proportion to the weight the carriage isintended to support. The body is firmly fastened to the seat of the carriage in any Wellknown way. This fastening must be of considerable strength, as the body part a is suspended from the seat and has no other means of support. It is evident that the seat itself must be made of sufficient strength to bear whatever weight it is designed to place upon it or upon any part of the body. The ends of the seat project over the sides of the body, as shown. These ends are supported by the springs 11 I), one on each side of the carriage, preferably through and by means of the stays c 0. Each stay 0 has two upwardly-project ing arms bent at the top, so as to form a flat level surface, upon which the end of the seat rests, one arm of the stay supporting the front part of the seat and the other arm of the stay supporting the back part of the seat. I prefor to extend the upper flat portion of the back arm of the stay around and underneath the back'part of the seat, so as to support that part of the seat more steadily and give additional strength to the construction. The stays at their lower ends are fastened to the springs b b in the manner shown by clamps or clips encircling the stays and the springs, and also inclosing an intervening piece of wood or other suitable material, (1 d, or this connection between the stays and the spring may be made in any well-known way. This intervening piece or cushion d is made to conform on its upper surface to the shape of the part of the stay that rests upon it, and on its lower surface to the shape of the spring, and is used partly for the purpose of leveling the body of the vehicle.

The stay and spring could of course be so shaped that they could be fastened together Without any intervening piece, d,- but I preferthc form shown. The pressure is thus distributed by the piece d over all the surface of the spring with which it comes into contact. The cushion d fulfills the further purpose of raising the body of the carriage to a higher position, if that is desired.

The spring I) is attached at one end to the hind axle by a pivoted connection, as shown, and at its front end to the head-block by a double joint or shackle, as shown. This manner of attachment gives increased strength and flexibility to the forward joint, and also gives the spring itself more play or scope of movement. The part h of the shackle that connects with the head-block I prefer to make solid instead of with ears, so as to furnish a more extended bearing for the bolt to which the links 7c are pivoted. In Figs. 3 and 4 I have shown a still more perfect mode of attaching the spring I) to the head-block. Instead of having a bolt pass through the part h of the shackle, I use the rod or bar m, made of iron or steel, with a proper amount of elasticity. The rod m is attached rigidly at its inner end to the headblock, as shown. At its outer end it turns in the forward half.

hearings in the part h. The links It k are rigidly attached to the bar in. WVhen the spring '0 is compressed, the rod mis turned or twisted at its outer end through the links 7|? k. This 5 torsional action of the rod on supplements the elasticity of the spring and makes the riding easier and softer. The side springs are thus pivoted on a fixed point attheir rear ends and flexibly connected at their front ends. This IO construction, while allowing great flexibility even under light loads,limits the swinging and horizontal movement of the body.

The seat of the vehicle is attached to the springs b I) at a point somewhat behind the cen- I 5 tor of those springs, as shown. To accomplish this I construct my spring with the highest point of its curve back of the middle point of the spring, as shown in the drawingsthat is to say, the rear half of the spring is shorter than I prefer to make these two parts of the spring in about the ratio of thirtythree inches to twenty nine inches. The greater length of the front half of the spring affords greater elasticity to this portion, and the load which is placed upon the body of the carriage is made to act more efficiently upon the springs, and thus to make the riding satisfactory. The connection of the carriagebody with the springs being nearest the rear axle,the greater portion of the load bears upon the rear axle, making the vehicle lighter-running and easier to turn. The rear portions of the springs thus sustain the greater part of theload, which they are adapted to do because of their greater stiffness, while the front portions of the springs are more flexible and better adapted to transmit the heavy shocks and strains received by the front wheels.

For riding on rough roads it is necessary to have the springs of such strength that in sidespring wagons previously used for such purposes the springs were too strong to be depressed by a light load, and consequently such wagons were uncomfortable to ride in with an ordinary light load. In my improved wagon a spring of sufficient strength will still be depressed by a light load, and hence by its elasticity greatly reduce or prevent jarring and jolting.

Another advantage of the construction show u is that the side springs rise almost or quite to the top of the body of the wagon, and hence greatly reduce the swaying motion from side to side so common in other side-spring wagons. The construction also permits the body to be placed very low, as the springs are conneeted to the-head-block and rear axle and arranged alongside of and partly below the side bars, and this lowering of the body also greatly reduces the swaying motion thereof. Again, as the seat is made to bear nearly all the weight of the load, the body of the wagon may be made very light, thus securing beauty and economy. Hitherto in side-bar side-spring wagons a full 'fifth-wheel has not readily been used because of the lack of means for supporting it.

In my improved wagon I am enabled to secure a full fifth-wheel, e, by means of a crossbar, f. This cross-bar connects the two side-bar reaches near their front ends and passes over the springs b b. The crossbar is curved downwardly, as shown, and is preferably made of two strips of iron and wood joined together, thus giving great strength and suitable lightness to the crossbar. The cross-bar may, however, be made in any other suitable manner or of any other suitable material. The upper half of the full fifth-wheel e is attached at its middle part to the crossbar, and is thus supported and held in position. The upper half 80 of the fifth-wheel is attached at its ends to the head-block. The lo werhalf of the fifth-wheel is attached to the front axle in any suitable manner, as shown.

Zis an arm or brace firmly fastened to the cross-bar f, and furnishing at its lower end an additional bearing for the king-bolt.

The side bars, g g, and the axles are constructed in any ordinary way, with their usual fastenings and connections.

The body part of the vehicle is made of the usual comparativelength. It will be seen that in this case the point of attachment between the body part, including the seat, and the springs is back of the middle point not only of the springs, but also of the body.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A Vehicle having side springs with their ends attached to the head-block and rear axles, respectively, and supporting the seat from which the body part is suspended, and side bars connecting the rear axle and head-block arranged outside of the springs and body, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. A vehicle having side springs attached to the head-block by a double joint or shackle and to the rear axle by a pivoted connection, and supporting the seat from which the body part is suspended, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. A vehicle having side springs attached to the head-block by a double joint or shackle and to the rear axle by a pivoted connection and supporting the seat, the seat being secured to the springs at a point back of the middle of the springs, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

I. A vehicle consisting of a body part and seat, the stays a c, the cushions d, the springs b b, and other usual parts, the seat being attached to the springs at a point back of the middle of the springs, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. A vehicle consisting of the body a, the seat, the stays a c, the cushions d,and the springs b I), having pivoted connections at the front and the rear ends with the head-block and rear axle, respectively, and the cross-bar f, supporting the fifth-wheel c, all combined and ar- I30 ranged as shown.

6. In aside-bar sidc-sprin g wagon, the crossbar f, connecting the side bars and arranged seat, the seat being secured to the springs at a above the side springs and supporting the uppoint back of the middle of the springs, subper half of the full fifth-wheel, substantially as stantially as and for the purposes set forth.

and for the purposes set forth. JAMES STUART. 5 7. A vehicle having side springs attached to Witnesses:

the head-block by a double joint or shackle JAMES H. LANDON,

and a torsional spring-bar and supporting the JOHN STUART. 

